ZCO and Swarovski

[shooters]

420/527 and the Z8i.
Two optics I've yet to own. There's no question which is the better built and feature rich optic in almost every category, I get that. The ZCO. Putting ALL other areas aside, is the Swaro Z8i going to be noticeably brighter in low light than the ZCO? Now I fully understand that sometimes an optic may not have the light transmission, but if it resolves better, you can see better in low light.
Has anyone had these two side by side? I realize that these are not two optics normally compared to one another being they are used for almost completely different purposes.
And the only reason I'm comparing the two is because I can get both at about the same price. If the ZCO in low light is the same, the it would be a huge benefit to go that route for obvious reasons….But my only purpose is its low light gathering ability. Nothing else.

 

[ultraedge]

If you give me a call, I can shed some light on your dilema. Gary 478-957-5213

 

[Rich Coyle]

@ultraedge,

Is it a highjack if I ask if you have compared the March 2 1/2-25X52 with other "high end" scopes?

 

[Enchanted hunter]

The ZCO 4/20 is absolutely amazing to my eye. Not sure which Swarovski model you are interested in but I never looked through a scope that is in any way "better" than the ZCO.

 

[shooters]

The ZCO 4/20 is absolutely amazing to my eye. Not sure which Swarovski model you are interested in but I never looked through a scope that is in any way "better" than the ZCO.

Thank you.
In my original post it's specific on what I'm asking.

 

[JTH]

I've got the ZCO 4-20x50 and the Z8i 2.3-18x56. Both are outstanding optics, so to be clear we're splitting hairs here.

The advantages of the Z8i are the brightness in low light (it is brighter IMO), it is considerably lighter weight than the ZCO, and the simplicity of the Swarovski lit reticle works better for me if things are happening fast. Disadvantage to the Z8i is the turrets and reticle don't compare to the ZCO if you're doing a lot of dialing or like to use a FFP reticle for holdovers or wind. I generally dial for distance and hold for wind so not a deal killer for me.

I've got several Swarovski's and durability of the scope itself has never been an issue for me, on that I'd say it's a wash between the two but if you're constantly on the turrets dialing a bunch the Swarovski turrets are clearly not as robust as the ZCO.

If Swarovski would make this scope in a FFP with a lit mildot reticle similar to the mpct1 on the ZCO and the turrets of the TT 3-15 it would be close to perfect for me.

 

[Enchanted hunter]

I've got the ZCO 4-20x50 and the Z8i 2.3-18x56. Both are outstanding optics, so to be clear we're splitting hairs here.

The advantages of the Z8i are the brightness in low light (it is brighter IMO), it is considerably lighter weight than the ZCO, and the simplicity of the Swarovski lit reticle works better for me if things are happening fast. Disadvantage to the Z8i is the turrets and reticle don't compare to the ZCO if you're doing a lot of dialing or like to use a FFP reticle for holdovers or wind. I generally dial for distance and hold for wind so not a deal killer for me.

I've got several Swarovski's and durability of the scope itself has never been an issue for me, on that I'd say it's a wash between the two but if you're constantly on the turrets dialing a bunch the Swarovski turrets are clearly not as robust as the ZCO.

If Swarovski would make this scope in a FFP with a lit mildot reticle similar to the mpct1 on the ZCO and the turrets of the TT 3-15 it would be close to perfect for me.

I agree completely

 

[Casscade]

A plus 1 on the above, imo the v8 Zeiss and swaro 6/8 are better 15-30 minutes after legal shooting light in my experience, that's assuming you get a good sample. If staying the legal 30 min after sunset it doesn't really matter so much, many scopes will do a fine job.